Recall that researchers conducted an experiment in which some participants were asked by the experimenter to return the monetary compensation they had received as a special favor to him, while others were asked by the department secretary to return the money as a favor to the psychology department, and still others received no such request for the return of their compensation.The researchers found that participants who were approached by the experimenter evaluated him better than did participants in the other two experimental conditions.Why?

Question

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The phenomenon observed in this experiment is known as cognitive dissonance. The participants who returned the compensation as a favor to the experimenter experienced dissonance between their actions and their belief that they should only return the money if they had a legitimate reason. To resolve this dissonance, they changed their attitude towards the experimenter and evaluated him more positively. This is a way to justify their own behavior by convincing themselves that they did the right thing.

Recall That Researchers Conducted an Experiment in Which Some Participants